James Dash is the first QUT Master of Engineering in Power Generation graduate and he is working at the forefront of the energy industry's move to cut carbon emissions while maintaining supply to an increasingly energy-hungry country.
It is an aptly named degree for a bright spark from the new generation of engineers who will have the power to develop and manage our future clean energy needs.
James is one of 6718 Queensland University of Technology (QUT) students who graduated at ceremonies this week.
James has been working on converting a power station to a clean coal station for his employer CS Energy, which sponsored him for the masters course.
"I have worked with the team which recommissioned the Callide A Power Station to prepare it for conversion to a clean coal station that will produce almost zero emission electricity," James said.
"The Callide Oxyfuel Project is a world-first demonstration of the conversion of a coal-fired power station to one that will produce almost no greenhouse emissions."
The Master of Engineering (Power Generation) is for professional engineers who want to accelerate their technical competency and fast-track their career in the power generation sector.
The masters and graduate certificate qualification in power generation is offered collaboratively at Queensland University of Technology, The University of Queensland, and CQ University, which together with Tarong Energy, CS Energy and Stanwell Corporation developed the world-class Power Generation Skills Development curriculum that makes up these postgraduate qualifications.
"I saw the opportunity to further my development through a course run by experts from the industry," James said.
"It is a great program that's based on what engineers in the industry need to know. It teaches you the thinking behind a lot of what we do.
"As a postgraduate student working in the industry there were plenty of challenges because, like most working postgraduate students, fitting in additional deadlines and working around maintenance outages of the power station was a challenge.
"The course also challenged us technically - industry experts clearly had a large hand in the development of the program."
James is currently working on the planning for the next major overhaul at the Kogan Creek Power Station, a $20 million project.
Media contact: Niki Widdowson, QUT media officer, 07 3138 1841 or n.widdowson@qut.edu.au.
